Euphemism

A euphemism is a polite expression used in

place of words or phrases that otherwise might be considered harsh or unpleasant to hear. Euphemisms are used regularly, and there are many examples in every day language.

Euphemism Examples in sentence

·         You aren’t poor, you are economically disadvantaged

·          Memang dodi ini terkenal sebagai anak yang tangan Panjang (pencuri)

·         Janganlah menjadi orang yang besar kepala nak (sombong)

·         Laki-laki itu hidung belang sudah punya istri  masih mengganggu istri orang (genit)

Types of Euphemisms 

To Soften an Expression

Some euphemisms are used in order to make a blunt or unpleasant truth seem less harsh.

Examples of euphemisms that fall into this category include:

·         Sleep together Instead of Have sex

·         Departed instead of died

·         Letting someone go instead of firing someone

To Be Polite 

Other euphemisms are used to take the place of words or phrases you might not want to say in polite company.

Examples of euphemisms that fall into this category include:

·         Adult entertainment instead of pornography

·      

Example in Literature
Aku bagaikan kumbang jalang dari tanah yang terbuang (tertindas)

Referensi :

http://lynnschneiderbooks.com/2011/12/23/20-examples-of-great-euphemisms/

examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-euphemism.html

http://literarydevices.net/euphemism/

Denotation,connotation,implication and Ambiguity

Ø Denotation Definition

Denotation is generally defined as literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings.

Denotation and Connotation

In literary works, we find it a common practice with writers to deviate from the dictionary meanings of words to create fresher ideas and images. Such deviations from the literal meanings are called the use of figurative language or literary devices e.g. metaphors, similes, personifications, hyperboles, understatements, paradoxes, and puns etc. Even in our daily conversation, we diverge from the dictionary meanings of words and prefer connotative or associated meanings of words in order to accurately convey our message. Below is a list of some common deviations from denotative meanings of words that we experience in our day to day life:

• A dog is used to suggest shamelessness or an ugly face.
• A dove is used to suggest peace or gentility.
• Home is used to suggest family, comfort and security.

Denotation Examples in Literature

1. An example of denotation literary term can be found in the poetic work of Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall”:
“And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.”
In the above lines, the word “wall” is used to suggest a physical boundary which is its denotative meaning but it also implies the idea of “emotional barrier”.

Function of Denotation

Readers are familiar with denotations of words but denotations are generally restricted meanings. Writers, therefore, deviate from the denotative meanings of words to create fresh ideas and images that add deeper levels of meanings to common and ordinary words. Readers find it convenient to grasp the connotative meanings of words because of the fact that they are familiar to their literal meanings.

Ø Connotation Definition

Connotation refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings in addition to their literal meanings or denotations.

Positive and Negative Connotations

Words may have positive or negative connotations that depend upon the social, cultural and personal experiences of individuals. For example, the words childish, childlike and youthful have the same denotative but different connotative meanings. Childish and childlike have a negative connotation as they refer to immature behavior of a person. Whereas, youthful implies that a person is lively and energetic.

Examples of Connotation in Literature

Metaphors are words that connote meanings that go beyond their literal meanings. Shakespeare in his Sonnet 18 says:
“Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day”
Here, the phrase “a Summer’s Day” implies the fairness of his beloved. Similarly, John Donne says in his poem “The Sun Rising”:
“She is all states, and all princes, I.”
This line suggests the speaker’s belief that he and his beloved are wealthier than all the states, kingdoms, and rulers in the whole world because of their love.

Function of Connotation

In literature, connotation paves way for creativity by using figures of speech like metaphor, simile, symbolism, personification etc. Had writers contented themselves with only the literal meanings, there would have been no way to compare abstract ideas to concrete concepts in order to give readers a better understanding .Therefore, connotative meanings of words allow writers to add to their works, dimensions which are broader, more vivid and fresher.

Ø Definition of implication

·         : a possible future effect or result

·         : something that is suggested without being said directly : something that is implied

·         : the fact or state of being involved in or connected to something (such as a crime) : the fact or state of being implicated in something

Examples of implication in a sentence

1.      … but whereas Updike and Roth work to establish connection and coherence in the face of time's chaos, DeLillo is an artist of diffusion and dispersal, of implication and missing information. —A. O. Scott, New York Times Book Review, 21 May 2006

2.      … the power of ideas to transform the world is itself accelerating. Although people readily agree with this observation when simply stated, very few people truly appreciate its profound implications. —Ray Kurzweil, Curious Minds, (2004) 2005

Ø Ambiguity Definition

Ambiguity or fallacy of ambiguity is a word, phrase, or statement which contains more than one meaning.
Ambiguous words or statements lead to vagueness and confusion, and shape the basis for instances of unintentional humor. For instance, it is ambiguous to say “I rode a black horse in red pajamas,” because it may lead us to think the horse was wearing red pajamas. The sentence becomes clear when it is restructured “Wearing red pajamas, I rode a black horse.”
Similarly, same words with different meanings can cause ambiguity e.g. “John took off his trousers by the bank.” It is funny if we confuse one meaning of “bank” which is a building, to another meaning, being “an edge of a river”. Context usually resolves any ambiguity in such cases.

Common Ambiguity Examples

·  A good life depends on a liver – Liver may be an organ or simply a living person.

·  Foreigners are hunting dogs – It is unclear whether dogs were being hunted or foreigners are being spoken of as dogs.

·  Each of us saw her duck – It is not clear whether the word “duck” refers to an action of ducking or a duck that is a bird.

Examples of Ambiguity in Literature

Although ambiguity is considered a flaw in writing, many writers use this technique to allow readers to understand their works in a variety of ways, giving them depth and complexity. Let us analyze some ambiguity examples in literature.

Read the following excerpt from “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger:
“I ran all the way to the main gate, and then I waited a second till I got my breath. I have no wind, if you want to know the truth. I’m quite a heavy smoker, for one thing—that is, I used to be. They made me cut it out. Another thing, I grew six and a half inches last year. That’s also how I practically got t.b. and came out here for all these goddam checkups and stuff. I’m pretty healthy though.”
The words “they” and “here” used by the speaker are ambiguous. But the readers are allowed to presume from the context that “they” might be the professionals helping out Holden and “here” might be a rehabilitation center.

Symbol,referent and Euphemish

SEMANTIC

The word semantics is derived from the Greek semaino, meaning, to signify or mean. Semantics is part of the larger study of signs, semiotics. It is the part that deals with words as signs (symbols) and language as a system of signs (words as symbols)." (Hipkiss, 1995:ix)

Menurut Hipkiss kata semantik diambil dari Yunani Semaino, yang bermakna Menandai atau memaknai. Semantik adalah bagian dari bidang studi tentang makna yang lebih luas yaitu semiotics. Semantik juga bagian yang membahas tentang simbol, tanda dan bahasa sebagai satu kesatuan sistem simbol.

Sementara itu, Saeed (2003:3) secara ringkas memaknai semantik sebagai berikut:

“Semantics is the study of meaning communicated through language.”

Lebih pendek lagi, Hurford dan Heasley (1983:1) mendefinisikan semantik dengan sangat sederhana, mereka mengatakan: "Semantics is the study of meaning in Language."

Selain itu, Palmer (1976:1) memaknai semantik sebagai salah satu bagian dari cabang ilmu linguistics. Ia menjelaskan bahwa:

 "Semantics is the technical term used to refer to the study of meaning, and since meaning is a part of language, semantics is a part of linguistics."

Menurut Palmer, semantik adalah istilah yang digunakan yang mengacu pada ilmu bidang makna, dan karena makna adalah bagian dari bahasa, maka semantik adalah bagian dari cabang ilmu linguistik.
Sebenarnya masih banyak lagi pakar-pakar bahasa, para ahli bahasa, para ahli linguistik yang memberikan beberapa definisi atau makna semantics tersebut. Akan tetapi semuanya rata-rata mengungkapkan bahwa semantics adalah bagian dari ilmu bahasa yang membahas tentang makna.

Symbol and referent

These terms may clarify the subject. A symbol is something which we use to represent another thing - it might be a picture, a letter, a spoken or written word - anything we use conventionally for the purpose. The thing that the symbol identifies is the referent. This may sometimes be an object in the physical world (the word Rover is the symbol; a real dog is the referent). But it may be something which is not at all, or not obviously, present - like freedom, unicorns or Hamlet.

A referent /ˈrɛfərənt/ is a person or thing to which a linguistic expression or other symbol refers. For example, in the sentence Mary saw me, the referent of the word Mary is the particular person called Mary who is being spoken of, while the referent of the word me is the person uttering the sentence.

Two expressions which have the same referent are said to be co-referential. In the sentence John had his dog with him, for instance, the noun John and the pronoun him are co-referential, since they both refer to the same person (John).

In semantics

The triangle of reference, from Ogden and Richards' The Meaning of Meaning.

In fields such as semantics and semiotics, a distinction is made between a referent and a reference. Reference is a relationship in which a symbol or sign (a word, for example) signifies something; the referent is the thing signified. The referent may be an actual person or object, or may be something more abstract, such as a set of actions.^[3][4]

Reference and referents were considered at length in the 1923 book The Meaning of Meaning by the Cambridge scholars C. K. Ogden and I. A. Richards. Ogden has pointed out that reference is a psychological process, and that referents themselves may be psychological – existing in the imagination of the referrer, and not necessarily in the real world.^[5] For further ideas related to this observation, see absent referent and failure to refer.

Symbol merupakan unsur linguistik berupa kata, kalimat, dan sebagainya; yang menunjuk kepada nenda, situasi, peristiwa, dan sebagainya. Dalam kalimat “Ini bagus”. Hanya kata “Ini” merupakan satu symbol jika kata “ini” merujuk ke suatu benda, situasi, peristiwa, misalnya sebuah buku, sebuah baju, dan sebagainya. Kata “bagus” tidak memiliki fungsi simbolik karena kata “bagus” hanya melayani ungkapan sikap. Bagi Richards dan Ogden kata-kata yang menyatakan perasaan, sikap, harapan, impian, dan sebagainya tidak termasuk dalam pengertian symbol. Kata-kata tersebut (yang menyatakan perasaan, sikap, harapan, impian, dan sebagainya) dikelompokkan ke dalam “bahasa emotif”.

Bahasa simbolik yang didefinisikan oleh Richards dan Ogden ialah bahasa yang sesuai dengan fakta atau bahasa kefaktaan. Sedangkan, bahasa emotif memiliki kegunaan dalam proses komunikasi untuk membangkitkan sikap yang diharapkan dari orang lain atau untuk mendorong orang lain bertindak dan sebagainya.

Referent adalah objek atau sesuatu yang berada di luar bahasa. Jika kita menggunakan symbol maka kita merujuk kepada referent. Sebagaimana yang dikutip oleh Parera (1990: 43) Richards dan Ogden menyatakan adalah penting untuk menemukan referent agar diketahui apakah suatu reference benar atau tidak. Dan jika reference benar, maka ia merujuk kepada fakta (if a reference “hangs together” in the way the actual referent hangs together, the reference is true and refers to a fact).

Reference merupakan konsep atau ide. Pada gambar diatas, antara symbol dan referent tidak berhubungan langsung dengan ditandai garis berputus-putus (antara bahasa dan luar bahasa). Hubungannya melalui pikiran atau reference.

Chaer dan bukunya ‘Pengantar: Semantik Bahasa Indonesia ‘ (1995) – beliau menggunakan kata ‘kata’ untuk symbol, kata ‘makna’ atau ‘konsep’ untuk reference dan ‘sesuatu yang dirujuk atau referen’ untuk referent –mengungkapkan bahwa hubungan antara kata (symbol) dengan makna atau konsep (reference)nya adalah bersifat langsung. Begitu juga hubungan anatara makna/konsep (reference) itu dengan referent juga bersifat langsung.; tetapi hubungan antara kata (symbol) dengan referent (sesuatu yang dirujuk) tidak bersifat langsung. Dengan demikian, dalam dalam gambar di atas hubungan antara (symbol) dengan referent-nya ditandai dengan garis putus-putus.

Hubungan antara kata (symbol) dengan makna (reference)nya bersifat arbriter, artinya, tidak ada hubungan wajib antara deretan fonem pembentuk kata itu dengan maknanya. Namun, hubungan bersifat konvensional. Artinya, disepakati oleh setiap anggota masyarakat suatu bahasa untuk mematuhi hubungan itu; sebab kalau tidak, komunikasi verbal yang dilakukan akan mendapat hambatan.

Euphemism

A euphemism is “the substitution of a mild, indirect or vague term for one considered to be harsh, blunt, or offensive”. Sometimes called doublespeak, a euphemism is a word or phrase which pretends to communicate but doesn’t. It makes the bad seem good, the negative seem positive, the unnatural seem natural, the unpleasant seem attractive, or at least tolerable. It is language which avoids, shifts or denies responsibility. It conceals or prevents thought.

Doublespeak was one of the central themes of George Orwell’s famous novel, 1984, although he didn’t use that term, instead he used the terms “doublethink” and “newspeak”.

Here are some particularly amusing examples, except where downright offensive.

1. You aren’t poor, you are economically disadvantaged.

2. You aren’t broke, you have temporary negative cash flow.

3. You do not live in a slum but in substandard housing, or in an economically depressed neighborhood, or culturally deprived environment.

4. If you are managing company stakeholders, that means you are lobbying, which is really the same as bribing.

Euphemisms are often used in everyday speech to soften difficult situations.

Example 1

We have to let you go, Tyler.

To “let someone go” is to fire someone. This is a euphemism that sounds much nicer than the harsh truth of the situation.

Example 2

She’s a very curvy woman.

“Curvy” can sometimes be used as a euphemistic way of describing someone who is, in fact, overweight.

Example 3

Jimmy was sent to a correctional facility.

A “correctional facility” is a more professional and nicer-sounding phrase than jail or prison.

Examples of Euphemism in Literature

Example #1

Examples of euphemism referring to sex are found in William Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Antony and Cleopatra”. In “Othello”, Act 1 Scene 1, Iago tells Brabantio:

“I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.”

Here, the expression “making the beast with two backs” refers to the act of having sex.

Similarly, we notice Shakespeare using euphemism for sexual intercourse in his play “Antony and Cleopatra”. In Act 2 Scene 2, Agrippa says about Cleopatra:

“Royal wench!

She made great Caesar lay his sword to bed.

He plowed her, and she cropped.”

The word “plowed” refers to the act of sexual intercourse and the word “cropped” is a euphemism for becoming pregnant.

Example #2

John Donne in his poem “The Flea” employs euphemism. He says:

“Mark but this flea, and mark in this,

How little that which thou denies me is;

It suck’d me first, and now sucks thee,

And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.

Thou know’st that this cannot be said

A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead;

Yet this enjoys before it woo,

And pamper’d swells with one blood made of two;

And this, alas! is more than we would do.”

In order to persuade his beloved to sleep with him, the speaker in the poem tells her how a flea bit both of them and their blood got mixed in it. This is a euphemism.

Example #3

“The Squealer”, a character in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, uses euphemisms to help “the pigs” achieve their political ends. To announce the reduction of food to the animals of the farm, Orwell quotes him saying:

“For the time being,” he explains, “it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations.”

Substituting the word “reduction” with “readjustment” was an attempt to suppress the complaints of other animals about hunger. It works because reduction means “cutting” food supply while readjustment implies changing the current amount of food.

Function of Euphemism

Euphemism helps writers to convey those ideas which have become a social taboo and are too embarrassing to mention directly. Writers skillfully choose appropriate words to refer to and discuss a subject indirectly which otherwise are not published due to strict social censorship e.g. religious fanaticism, political theories, sexuality, death etc. Thus, euphemism is a useful tool that allows writers to write figuratively about the libelous issues.

Eufemisme

Sebuah eufemisme adalah "substitusi istilah ringan, tidak langsung atau samar untuk satu dianggap kasar, tumpul, atau menyinggung". Kadang-kadang disebut doublespeak, eufemisme adalah kata atau frase yang berpura-pura untuk berkomunikasi tapi tidak. Hal ini membuat buruk tampak baik, negatif tampaknya positif, wajar tampak alami, yang tidak menyenangkan tampak menarik, atau setidaknya ditoleransi. Ini adalah bahasa yang menghindari, menggeser atau menyangkal bertanggung jawab. Ia menyembunyikan atau mencegah pikiran.

Doublespeak adalah salah satu tema sentral dari novel terkenal George Orwell, 1984, meskipun ia tidak menggunakan istilah itu, dia malah menggunakan istilah "doublethink" dan "newspeak".

Berikut adalah beberapa contoh yang sangat lucu, kecuali benar-benar menyinggung.

1. Anda tidak miskin, Anda secara ekonomi kurang beruntung.

2. Anda tidak rusak, Anda memiliki arus kas negatif sementara.

3. Anda tidak tinggal di daerah kumuh tapi di perumahan di bawah standar, atau di lingkungan ekonomi tertekan, atau lingkungan dicabut budaya.

4. Jika Anda mengelola stakeholder perusahaan, itu berarti Anda sedang melobi, yang benar-benar sama dengan menyuap.

Eufemisme sering digunakan dalam percakapan sehari-hari untuk melunakkan situasi sulit.

contoh 1

Kita harus membiarkan Anda pergi, Tyler.

Untuk "membiarkan seseorang pergi" adalah untuk memecat seseorang. 

Ini adalah eufemisme yang terdengar jauh lebih baik daripada kebenaran yang keras dari situasi.

contoh 2

Dia wanita yang sangat melengkung.

"Curvy" kadang-kadang dapat digunakan sebagai cara 

eufimistis menggambarkan seseorang yang, pada kenyataannya, kelebihan berat badan.

contoh 3

Jimmy dikirim ke lembaga pemasyarakatan.

Sebuah "pemasyarakatan fasilitas" adalah ungkapan yang lebih profesional 

dan lebih bagus yang terdengar dari penjara atau penjara.

Contoh Eufemisme dalam Sastra

Contoh # 1

Contoh eufemisme mengacu seks ditemukan di William Shakespeare "Othello" dan "Antony dan Cleopatra".

 Dalam "Othello", Act 1 Scene 1, Iago mengatakan Brabantio:

"Saya satu, Pak, yang datang untuk memberitahu Anda putri Anda dan Moor

 yang sekarang membuat binatang dengan dua punggung."

Di sini, ungkapan "membuat binatang dengan dua punggung" mengacu pada tindakan berhubungan seks.

Demikian pula, kita melihat Shakespeare menggunakan eufemisme 

untuk melakukan hubungan seksual di dramanya "Antony dan Cleopatra".

 Dalam UU 2 Scene 2, Agripa mengatakan tentang Cleopatra:

"Dara Kerajaan!

Dia membuat besar Caesar berbaring pedangnya ke tempat tidur.

Dia dibajak, dan dia dipotong. "

Kata "dibajak" mengacu pada tindakan hubungan seksual dan kata "dipotong" adalah eufemisme untuk hamil.

Contoh # 2

John Donne dalam puisinya "Flea The" mempekerjakan eufemisme. Dia bilang:

"Mark tapi kutu ini, dan tanda dalam hal ini,

Betapa sedikit yang engkau menyangkal saya adalah;

Ini suck'd saya pertama, dan sekarang menyebalkan engkau,

Dan di loak ini kami dua darah bercampur menjadi.

Engkau know'st bahwa ini tidak bisa dikatakan

Sebuah dosa, atau malu, atau kehilangan keperawanan;

Namun ini menikmati sebelum woo,

Dan pamper'd membengkak dengan satu darah terbuat dari dua;

Dan ini, sayangnya! lebih dari yang kita akan lakukan. "

Untuk membujuk tercinta untuk tidur dengan dia, pembicara dalam puisi mengatakan

 padanya bagaimana sedikit loak keduanya dan darah mereka tercampur di dalamnya.

 Ini adalah eufemisme.

Contoh # 3

"The Squealer", karakter di George Orwell "Animal Farm", 

menggunakan eufemisme untuk membantu "babi" mencapai tujuan politik mereka

. Mengumumkan pengurangan makanan untuk hewan peternakan, Orwell mengutip dia mengatakan:

"Untuk saat ini," ia menjelaskan, "itu telah ditemukan perlu untuk membuat penyesuaian dari jatah."

Menggantikan kata "pengurangan" dengan "penyesuaian" merupakan upaya 

untuk menekan keluhan dari hewan lain tentang kelaparan. 

Ia bekerja karena pengurangan berarti "memotong" suplai makanan sementara penyesuaian 

menyiratkan perubahan saat ini jumlah makanan.

Fungsi Eufemisme

Eufemisme membantu penulis untuk menyampaikan ide-ide yang telah menjadi tabu 

sosial dan terlalu memalukan untuk menyebutkan secara langsung.

 Penulis terampil memilih kata-kata yang tepat untuk menyebut dan mendiskusikan 

subjek tidak langsung yang dinyatakan tidak dipublikasikan karena sensor

 sosial yang ketat mis fanatisme agama, teori politik, seksualitas, kematian dll

 Dengan demikian, eufemisme adalah alat yang berguna yang memungkinkan

 penulis untuk menulis kiasan tentang isu-isu fitnah.